This PowerPoint is from the 17th EPEA (European Prison Education Association) Conference, which took place in Dublin 12-16th of June. In it Alan Smith explores the EU's interaction with prison education throughout its existence, as well as gathering together links to relevant EU policy, reports and actions.

Alan Smith was previously the Gruntvig coordinator and is currently the acting head of the Adult Learning Unit.

In the 1980s, Alan played a key role in developing and managing the higher education programme Erasmus and was then Director (Education) at the European Cultural Foundation and founding Director of the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) before joining the European Commission in 1995. There, he held various senior positions, in particular coordinating Erasmus, Comenius (for schools) and especially Grundtvig (adult learning), before retiring in 2011.

During his Grundtvig period Alan became a staunch advocate for prison education as a vital but often neglected contributor to adult learning. Over 100 European projects and partnerships, innumerable training courses and other transnational activities were supported, culminating in a landmark conference with policy-makers, practitioners and researchers from across Europe followed up by significant reviews of prison education systems and research. Widely published on European education issues, Alan has received honorary life membership of EPEA, honorary doctorates from universities in Birmingham, Brussels and Edinburgh and EAIE’s Constance Meldrum Award for Vision and Leadership